i just wanna share this with you. An editorial content from
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Losers
WITH the phenomenal growth of information and communication technology in the past decade or so, computers and the Internet have become indispensable tools, whether in government or in business. While computers and Internet access have become more affordable in recent years, they are still beyond the reach of many people. Thus, Internet cafés serve a distinct need: providing access to information and knowledge by students, researchers and the general public, particularly those with limited economic means.
Of late, however, the very survival of Internet cafés has come under increasing doubt. While these Internet cafes are a pioneering industry reflective of a strong entrepreneurial spirit among Filipinos, strong pressure from multinational information technology firms eager to extract maximum profits from the sale of computer software threaten to consign them to oblivion.
The licensed versions of the most widely used computer operating systems today can be purchased for an average of P8,000 from computer stores. The same software sells for only the equivalent of around P5,000 in the US mainland. Yet, Filipino computer users must cough up P3,000 more if they want the genuine article. Cloned copies of the same operating system, on the other hand, are available in the underground economy for as little as P80. Would you spend P8,000 for something that can be obtained for P80? Apparently not. But then you'd be afoul of the law, and run the risk of prosecution. It's an unjust price to pay, if you ask us, just to uphold \"intellectual property.\" A fair, equitable middle ground must be found here, protecting the rights of all concerned.
In many countries, they wouldn't bother to pay for the genuine article. It is estimated that up to 90 percent of all computer software used in China , India and other countries are unlicensed. Over 80 percent of all computers in use by the Philippine government are also believed to be using unlicensed software. And yet, computer users in the Philippines , including Internet cafés, are being asked to buy exorbitantly priced licensed software lest they be haled to court for violation of intellectual property rights.
It is important to point out that the US , Japan , Taiwan , South Korea and other developed countries, before they reached high levels of growth, freely used cloned technology and ignored copyright laws. China is doing the same now, as it is the biggest source of most movie DVDs and computer software freely sold on Manila sidewalks.
We urge the government to enforce the law regarding intellectual property rights evenhandedly. One valid question to ask is: Would the NBI be raiding government offices using cloned computer software and confiscate all the computer equipment? If so, wouldn't all our government offices simply grind to a halt? As things now stand, many small Internet cafés have scaled down operations or shut down completely out of fear of raids by the NBI. This doesn't even include the \"side problem\" of giving some corrupt lawmen or local inspectors yet another excuse to shake down small- business men. Talk about boosting the SME sector.
The biggest losers in the government campaign to go after cloned computer software will be Filipinos themselves who will be deprived of the right to access information and knowledge arising from the ongoing revolution in information and communication technology.
The Philippine government should protect the public interest first and foremost, and not the profit levels of foreign firms. We are all for upholding IPR-but reason, not greed, must also mark the motives of those who invoke the law on their side.
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